In a conventional PC arrangement, the video monitor is a separate external unit to the PC, which typically contains the PC motherboard on which are mounted the microprocessor and associated memory, BIOS and control circuits. The external video monitor unit is typically connected to the PC motherboard by means of a cable which is connected at one of its ends, to the video socket on the motherboard; the other end of the cable extends external from the PC and is plugged into the video input of the monitor.
In recent years, it has become increasingly common to incorporate the PC and video monitor into a single unit. In order to reduce their manufacturing costs, manufacturers of these so-called all-in-one PC units still employ the standard PC motherboards that are used in PCs in which the monitor is located on a separate chassis from the motherboard. This standard motherboard includes an edge video socket, such as a 15-pin high density shell connector, that is used with a VGA monitor system. The standard motherboards are configured to couple the video signal from the motherboard video socket to an external monitor, not to a monitor mounted on a common chassis with the motherboard.
When the standard motherboard is used in a unit in which the video monitor is on the same chassis as the PC motherboard, the video socket on the motherboard extends outward beyond the chassis. Means must also be provided to couple the video signal via a coaxial cable from the motherboard video socket back into the chassis to be coupled to the internal monitor. Employing such a standard video cable arrangement, however, creates an unsightly connection to the motherboard video socket and an unwieldy coupling of the coaxial cable from the motherboard video socket to the internal monitor.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an improved video cable connector for use in a PC having an internal video monitor mounted on a common chassis with the PC motherboard.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cable for use in a PC in which connection between the motherboard and an internal video monitor is achieved in a neater and more compact manner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a video cable connector of the type described, which facilitates the coupling of the video signal from the motherboard to an internal monitor and which provides a more decorative appearance of the video connector at the rear of the PC unit.